Career Incubator

Since the pandemic, LCA pivoted from a one-day Career Exploration event to a six-month virtual Career Exploration/Career Incubator Academy on Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month from 12 noon – 3 pm PT.

During our six-month LCA cohort that starts with the launch of ReelAbilities Film Festival NY (April – October) and ReelAbilities Film Festival Los Angeles (October – April), there are several significant opportunities for corporate executive engagement and collaborative synergy.

Months 4 – 6:

Career Incubator Activities and Master Classes:

– Disability Expression Challenge and Disability Expressionist Café

– Studio Workshop and Building Your Online Presence

– LCA Pitch Tank (composed of Industry judges and flash mentors who provide two 30-minute mentoring sessions

– Master Classes (depending upon the composition of the cohort) Business, Starting Your Own

Company, Writing, Marketing, Editing, etc.)

Disability Expression Challenge and Disability Expressionist Café:

LCA’s Expressionist Cafe follows the rich tradition of the Expressionist movement in Art, Architecture, music, and Poetry. Expressionists cafe’s, also known as salons, offered opportunities for avante-garde artists and thinkers to share their rich experiences and unique perspective through their art in an intimate informal gathering of like-minded supporters. The Salons were evocative, poignant, intimate, and responsive to current events and themes of the day.

LCA’s Expressionist Cafe is an outgrowth of the Disability Disclosure workshop and the Disability Expression Challenge. It is an event where LCA participants are invited to share an artistic perspective or piece of work to evoke feedback and generate conversation. LCA participants are invited to introduce and present a “disability expression” themed personal work to their LCA community in a supportive setting to generate a robust and important conversation about disability expression. The event is intended to provide an experience and opportunity to build confidence in claiming your voice as an artist and advocate among the LCA peer community.

LCA’s michaels.adams. Studio Workshop and Building Your Online Living Portfolio:

As a member of the LCA community, your introduction to the michaels.adams. Studio Workshop designed by Jd Michaels will be participating directly in a series of film production meetings: concept, writing, casting, design, film and audio capture, editing, and graphics.

We will then work to create micro-films by working together in teams.

Each phase of the process will have examples, best practices, and some special guests!

Those who enjoy this introduction will be able to expand the experience in further michaels.adams. studio workshop offerings and events!

LCA Pitch Tank (composed of Industry evaluators and flash mentors who provide two 30-minute “Flash Mentoring” sessions):

LCA Pitch Tank is a unique opportunity where LCA participants work with a Flash Mentor to craft and enhance their elevator, networking or marketing pitches. The process culminates with a live virtual Pitch Tank with a panel of LCA feedback evaluators and an opportunity to receive the LCA Pitch Tank Audience Award.

Executives from:

  • ALL ARTS, Black Hollywood Entertainment & Resource Center, C-Talent, Casting Society of America, CBS, Disney, Meta (Facebook), NBCUniversal, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
  • Jim LeBrecht/Crip Camp
  • Danny Woodburn/Seinfeld; ADA Lead On Productions
  • Disabled writers from the Writers Guild of America
  • Craig Tollis/Emmy-winning editor
  • Amy Brenneman/Judging Amy; Actor; Producer
  • Angela Rockwood/Push Girls

Master Classes (depending upon the composition of the cohort) include Business, Starting Your Own Company, Writing, Marketing, Editing, etc